Fates Intertwined
by Ming-Yue-Huo
Summary: Fakir/Ahiru FluffffffffX1,000,000! A random collection of fluffy fluffy fluff dedicated to the star-crossed OTP of the series, Fakir and Ahiru. Please enjoy and don't hurt me, KTHXBAI.
1. The End

Ahiru stood at the end of the dock, holding onto the dry wooden post. Spring had come a little earlier this year, but the pond still needed some time to warm up before it would be comfortable to swim in again. Still, Ahiru knew that she shouldn't be here, that she shouldn't still be human. She should have flown south with all the other ducks that winter and stayed in a warm place, ignorant of the proceedings of humans.

Her hand trembled, still clutching the post. She didn't know what was stopping her; she had fulfilled her duty in the story, so theoretically she should return to being a duck. There was no one to remember her anymore anyway…

A tear suddenly dripped down her face and she closed her eyes, preparing to step into the water…

"Ahiru!" A voice rang out behind her.

Feeling her heartbeat rise, Ahiru turned to see Fakir standing at the end of the dock, panting as he clutched at one of the posts.

"What are you doing?" He asked sharply, seeing her extended foot.

Ahiru swept her foot back onto the dock and discreetly wiped the tear from her face, pretending to sweep aside her bothersome hair. "I was just admiring the day. It is beautiful, isn't?" she chirruped, hoping he wouldn't notice that she'd been crying.

His eyes narrowed. He'd noticed. Slowly, he walked down to the end of the dock and stood behind her and to her right, placing his hand on the wooden post that she was clutching so tightly. Looking down in surprise, she could see her white knuckles between Fakir's fingers. Slowly she relaxed her hand on the post.

"Moron." He muttered, still looking out at the sky. Ahiru's heart jumped and she looked back at him nervously.

"You can't lie to me; I know you better than that." He said brusquely, continuing after a difficult pause. "You don't have to go." He murmured so softly that Ahiru almost missed his words. She looked up at him, feeling her heart rise into her throat. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but that would only make things harder for her when she left. She wasn't sure that he would mind having her leave; it would certainly get her out of his hair…

"I…" Her voice rose unbidden, but she wouldn't let it go any further. She didn't want to make Fakir have to keep looking after her. He didn't need the extra responsibility.

She carefully pulled her hand from beneath Fakir's warm, hand and sighed before she closed her eyes and stepped off the dock, into the cold, cold water. Fakir moved to stop her, but his hands only closed on air.

Ahiru let herself be dragged down, the cold seeping into her body as she shivered, waiting for the change to take place. Her lungs screamed for air, but she stayed down, knowing at any second that her feathers would grow out and insulate her body.

But for some reason, the feathers did not grow. Opening her eyes, Ahiru lifted her hands to her face. In the dim water light they were pale, white, and human. Her eyes widened. Why wasn't she changing…?

A curtain of black began to draw over her eyesight, creeping quickly as it ate away at her vision. She struggled for the surface, but her muscles cramped with the cold; she couldn't swim. She could almost cry, knowing that she'd stayed a human and was now going to die, without ever having confessed to Fakir just how much she really loved him.

She closed her eyes as the curtain drew down over her sight, allowing herself to sink into the dark embrace of oblivion. Or so she would have, had not a strong pair of hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her toward the surface. The icy water surged past her nearly numb face as she was drawn toward the surface.

Fakir cradled her in his arms as he stumbled onto dry land, sloshing water everywhere as he went. His wet black hair draped across Ahiru's face as he roughly set her down, holding onto her arms when she stumbled.

When he had regained his breath, he looked up at Ahiru, his eyes ablaze.

"You moron! I told you that you didn't have to go!"

Ahiru did not reply immediately, still staring at her hands.

"I didn't change." She whispered breathlessly. Her auburn hair was plastered to her face, but she took no notice of it.

Fakir rolled his eyes in frustration. "That's the second time I've had to rescue you from that pond! How much longer are you going to keep acting suicidal?" He demanded.

Ahiru looked up at him, meeting his furious eyes with her own placid ones.

"Fakir, I'm supposed to be a duck! My part in the story is over! Why didn't I change?"

Fakir sighed exasperatedly. "Your part isn't over."

Ahiru's eyes lit up. "So does that mean that there's still someone here who needs me?"

Fakir was caught off-guard at that statement. Pondering her words, he realized with some chagrin that they were true. Very true.

He grinned suddenly and pulled her to him, holding her tightly against his chest. Ahiru's eyes grew wide.

Quietly, hardly believing that he was finally saying it, he murmured into her ear,

"_I _need you."

Fakir's words left her as stunned as his sudden embrace. She pushed herself back enough to see his face. "Wait, when you say that, do you mean-"

She was interrupted, mid-sentence, when Fakir caught her face in his hands and made her gasp in surprise as he pulled her face up to his and pressed a warm kiss to her lips. Astonished, Ahiru's breath stopped and she felt as if she might still be falling through the water. She sighed, shuddering at the rush of warmth that spread throughout her body. Slowly, Ahiru closed her eyes and wound her arms around Fakir's neck. He responded, moving one of his hands to her lower back, pulling her closer, and one settled at the nape of her neck, threading through her damp hair as he deepened the kiss.

He felt so alive, the warm feelings that he'd always felt for Ahiru melting into delirious happiness. Distantly, Ahiru became aware of warm tears running down her face and mingling with streams of water at her collarbone. She returned his kiss, trembling with overwhelming emotion.

After a few moments, they broke apart. Ahiru stared up at Fakir in slight shock while he smiled awkwardly down at her, just now realizing the extent of his audacity. Ahiru shyly drew her arms from around his neck, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. She was about to turn her head to the side, cheeks flaming red, when Fakir's hand cupped her face again, turning her toward him. "I need you, or else the story will never go on." He said, touching his forehead to hers, eyes closed.

"I always meant to tell you, but I can't seem to write without you nearby. There's something about you that always inspires me. -But now it's more than that. "

"_I love you_." Ahiru murmured, her voice soft and light, seeming to float with her heart.

Fakir's eyes flew open, and he looked into her clear eyes in slight shock.

Ahiru placed her small hands over Fakir's on her cheek, closing her eyes with a smile. "That," she announced, "Is what I always meant to tell _you_."

Fakir smiled, the look in his eyes warming Ahiru's heart as she reopened hers.

"Moron." He murmured softly, and pulled her into another kiss. Ahiru closed her eyes and let herself be enveloped by the sweetness that ran from his lips through her body. When they broke apart again, she rested her forehead in the crook of his neck, inhaling softly the familiar, slightly bitter scent of ink and parchment. Fakir rested his head against hers, eyes closed, silently and desperately willing the moment to last.

"Am not." Ahiru muttered into his neck. Her moving lips against his neck made his heart quicken and his breath hitched.

"You're not what?" He asked gently, still holding her.

"I'm not a moron." She said with teasing firmness.

Fakir smiled, laughing softly into her damp hair. "It wasn't you that I was talking about." He closed his eyes, burying his nose in her hair again, but she gently pushed him away, looking quizzically into his eyes. "Then who _were_ you talking about?"

"Myself."

"_Really_?" She snorted sarcastically.

"Yes, moron. I'm the one who should have said something sooner. I suppose I'll just have to say it now…" He smiled as he drew her closer for another kiss.

"_I love you too_."

.........................................................................................................................................................................

_A/N:_ Hey everyone! Long time no see (again)!

So this is just a little piece of fluff between Fakir and Ahiru that I wrote a while ago. Originally it was going to be an ending for one of my (yes I have written more than one!) FxA fics, but it ended up getting cut. Still, I decided to post it because I liked it so much. (Also perhaps to appease the people who have been keep waiting waaaaaay too long for me to post chapters of "The Heart Within".)

Thanks so much for reading! As always, PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-MYH


	2. A Late Night Vignette

Fakir closed his eyes in frustration and slammed the book closed, massaging his temples. The words just swam in front of his eyes each time he tried to focus, and his mind refused to do his bidding. He shook his head and forced his eyes open. Even the dim light of the lantern on his desk scorched his eyes when he opened them, having become used to the darkness. Oh how he longed to sleep…

"Fakir?"

A soft voice rose sleepily out of the warm darkness behind his chair. Fakir sighed again and turned slowly to see Ahiru drowsily disentangling herself from the bed sheets and stumbling out of bed. He closed his eyes again, clenching his teeth.

"It's alright, Ahiru. Just go back to sleep. I only need to read this last chapter, and then I can go to bed."

Ahiru yawned, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth and stretching the other hand to the ceiling. She opened her eyes and placed her hands on Fakir's shoulders, resting her chin on his dark hair. "You said that about four chapters ago, I'm certain." The sardonic tone of her voice set a slight smile at the corner of Fakir's mouth. She enjoyed mimicking him from time to time, just to make sure he didn't venture too far into the land of egotistical snobs. The thing was, even though it was hardly dignified for her to mock him, he loved it. He loved the way she'd furrow her eyebrows and try to lower her sweet, girlish voice to match his somber tone. She looked so ridiculous that he couldn't help but laugh at her, and at himself. She always knew how to make him smile, although he'd never tell her so. Not that that prevented her from knowing it.

Fakir's breath hitched when Ahiru slipped her arms over his chest in a loose embrace and lightly pressed her mouth to the skin just below his jaw. His hands twitched; he wanted to reach up and take her face in his hands, turn and kiss her and forget about his deadline tomorrow, but his body was sluggish and stiff from having stayed in one position for so long. Ahiru lifted her lips from his neck with a small laugh, sending a warm exhalation brushing over Fakir's collarbone. He closed his eyes and tried not to groan with frustration. He just wanted to go to sleep…

Affectionately, Ahiru butted her cheek gently against Fakir's temple and drew her arms from around his shoulders. With a sigh she patted his shoulder with a hand and murmured, "I really shouldn't distract you right now. I'll go back to bed now."

Fakir sighed at the slight tone of melancholy in her voice. He just wanted to stand up and wrap her in his arms, press her face against his chest and his face against her auburn hair. He wanted to tell her that he was only doing all of this for her, doing it because he loved her, but the words always froze on his tongue. He was always afraid he'd say them wrong somehow. So while Ahiru continued to smile, even when she waited until she fell asleep for him to come to bed, and woke in the morning to find that he had left for work, Fakir constantly searched for a way to apologize, and thank her for how much she'd supported, even lifted him up over the years.

How he wanted to hold her right now… But this last goddamn chapter still stood in his way of sweet, blissful sleep. He flipped the book open and stared at the pages for another minute, trailing the letters and sentences with his tired eyes. When he got to the bottom of the page, however, the letters began to swim again and he stared for two seconds before he flipped the book closed.

Heh, fuck it.

Fakir stood and heaved a sigh to lighten the heaviness in his chest before he blew out the lamp and made his way to the bed.

Ahiru had turned away from the lamplight, curled at the opposite edge of the bed. Smiling wearily, Fakir very carefully pulled back the covers and slid himself into bed beside her. Ahiru did not wake up, which simultaneously made Fakir happy and sad. He hadn't wanted her to lose any more sleep over him, but he had at least hoped to talk to her before they went to sleep. Maybe tonight he could have said those words that always eluded him when he tried to tell her how much she had done for him, how much he'd always wanted to thank her…

The thought suddenly struck him that, with her asleep, he might be able to try and say it. This time he might get it right. He raised himself onto his elbow and leaned down to her ear, feeling her soft hair brush against his lips.

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He tried to think of how he should say it, but nothing would come together in his tired head. He took a slow breath and kissed her hair, then whispered, without thinking, "I love you. I'll never know how to thank you for… everything, but thank you. Thank you."

He sank back down beside her and allowed the breath he'd been holding to escape his chest. He'd finally said it. Perhaps he hadn't said it all, or perhaps he'd never say it all perfectly, but he'd said something.

"You didn't need to say it," Ahiru's voice whisper-spoke in the darkness. The softness of her voice made his breath hitch again. He felt the mattress shift as Ahiru turned to face him. "I already knew."

Fakir gave a slight laugh, furious that he'd agonized for so long and she'd already known. But he was too happy to really be angry at himself. Sighing, he slid his hands around her waist and pulled her against him, holding her tightly. In return he felt one hand snake around his torso, hugging him back. The other hand curled against his chest.

He pressed his lips to the top of her head and then brushed her jaw with his fingertips as he brought his face down to hers for a kiss. She sighed against his mouth in a rush of warm air and pulled closer. Eventually, slowly, Fakir drew back and once again tucked her head under his chin, cradling her body against his. They each drifted off to sleep just as the sky began to lighten.

* * *

A/N: So I haven't looked at this since I wrote it at least a year ago (probably just as well), but I figured it had been stagnating in my story folder for long enough. Enjoy! :)


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